Airpower, more than any other factor, has shaped war in the past century, posits Martin Van Creveld. In addition to surveying the many accomplishments of airpower—including many of the most crucial struggles of the world wars—Van Creveld suggests that nuclear weapons and guerilla warfare both highlight the ineffectiveness of planes in contemporary warfare.

"A brilliantly formulated, exhaustively researched, and engagingly written critique of America’s once vaunted military service, this is sure to arouse much controversy among interested parties."—Library Journal